Boston Market’s St. Louis style ribs — good meat, sad sauce

The folks at Boston Market, another chain with its national headquarters in Denver, have added St. Louis style barbequed pork ribs as well as brisket to the current roster of home-style entrees. Since that lineup rarely changes, I stopped by the store at 500 Grant Street to check on these…

Denver’s five best patios to celebrate the arrival of spring (despite the snow)

The crew at Crimson & Gold, a bar near the University of Denver, apparently didn’t venture outside yesterday, because while Denver’s finest meteorologists had it all wrong when they predicted that the city would be snowballed by Snowzilla-Snowmageddon-Snowpocalypse, it was definitely not “patio weather,” despite the bar’s signage pointing to…

Variety’s not the spice at Pho 555 on Federal

In A Federal Case, I’ll be eating my way up Federal Boulevard — south to north — within Denver city limits. I’ll be skipping the national chains and per-scoop Chinese joints, but otherwise I’ll report from every vinyl booth, walk-up window and bar stool where food is served. Here’s the…

Reader: Sad to see Little Italy fall restaurant by restaurant

Over the past year, we’ve lost three more of the Italian restaurants that used to blanket northwest Denver like red sauce. Pagliacci’s shuttered last August, after 66 years in business; Longo’s Subway Tavern closed in September, after 52 years; and Carbone’s, the iconic Italian sandwich shop and market, has been…

Atomic Cowboy empire moving into Crimson Canary space

Just this morning, a reader suggested that Fat Sully’s, which opened on South Broadway earlier this year, take over the space next door that had been occupied by Crimson Canary until it closed Saturday night. Now that reader is getting his wish: Drew Shader, owner of Atomic LLC, just announced…

Snooze switches position on camping ban

Even as Coors Field was filling up last Friday, fans were learning Ballpark neighborhood mainstay Snooze would no longer support the city’s May 2012 ban on camping because it hasn’t helped the homeless community. Snooze had initially supported that proposal — a stance that inspired Occupy Denver to boycott the…

Guess where I’m eating a pork chop…in Vail?

I’ll admit that I’ve never been terribly impressed with the restaurant climate in Vail, and let’s face it: In a resort town like this, where a fickle public chews up their restaurants and then spits them out just as fast, you’ve got to be better than good to survive (unlike,…

Photos: RiNo’s on Blake opens in the former Brauns space

RiNo’s on Blake, a “contemporary American” restaurant, opened last night at 2401 Blake Street, the original home of the Blake Street Tavern (and a second Brauns after that). While RiNo’s will continue to have a bar vibe, it’s also created a white-tablecloth dining area that focuses on “sustainable made-from-scratch foods.”…

Reader: Fat Sully’s should take over Crimson Canary space

Business is soaring in the Baker neighborhood — but even so, the Crimson Canary just didn’t fly on Broadway. Saturday was the last night of service at this restaurant that specialized in “Boss Italian,” a sophomore venture from the folks at Interstate Kitchen & Bar. The spot had previously swallowed…

Buffalo Doughboy closed today — back to baking tomorrow

Updated: Buffalo Doughboy reopened this morning, and is back to baking.Buffalo Doughboy has faced some challenges since it moved from a tiny spot in Baker to bigger digs at 1298 South Broadway two years ago. For starters, there was the economy. And then there was the endless construction work on…

Guess where I’m eating a meat-centric molcajete?

There are plenty of usual-suspect dishes at this Mexican restaurant, but there’s also a whole section devoted to seafood, much of it excellent, and lurking somewhere between the whole snapper and the enchiladas is the smoking molcajete crowned with every meat imaginable. Can you guess where I’m eating? Special bonus:…

After a year and a half on Broadway, Crimson Canary closes in Baker

Crimson Canary, the “Boss Italian” restaurant in Baker that Interstate Kitchen & Bar owners Andre and Aaron Lobato (they’re also brothers) and Joey Newman opened in the fall of 2011, ceased singing on Saturday night after a final dinner service. See also: – Best Fried Calamari – 2012 Crimson Canary…

A second helping of this week’s Cafe Society

This past week on Cafe Society, Gretchen Kurtz reviewed Tom’s Urban 24, the upscale diner that Tom Ryan opened last fall in Larimer Square. Read her review of Tom’s Urban 24 here. Sixteen blocks further up Larimer Street, Jonathan Power is the chef/co-owner of The Populist, which opened just a…